WebVisible: People Prefer SMBs to Chains

A new WebVisible-sponsored consumer survey (n=1,000), conducted by Synovate, found that most US consumers would rather buy from an independent local business than a chain or big box. No real surprises there.

According to WebVisibile:

More than 4 out of 5 consumers – 83 percent – choose to patronize a small, local independent business over a larger chain, and their top three reasons for doing so speak to values that have long characterized small business:

I want to support my community

The local merchant is more conveniently located

The service is more personal

Just 17 percent of American consumers say they don’t choose to patronize a small business over a larger chain.

Source: WebVisible (n=1,000)

The top overall reason was service, following by convenience. There were some demographic differences in the responses, however.

From the release:

Seniors (over 65) were the only ones to put [service] at the top of their list of reasons to shop local. That same group was more likely than any other age group to put “knowing – or being known by – the owner or an employee” at the top.

The youngest respondents were far more likely to cite convenience among their reasons to shop locally – 60 percent of those 18-24 placed it among their top three, while 48 percent of total respondents did the same. Those in the 18-24 group were the only ones to give convenience the top spot overall, with 30 percent saying convenient location was No. 1, compared with 17 percent of the overall population.

A few demographic groups went against the norm to place “knowing – or being known by – the owner or an employee” among their top three reasons. They were respondents who earn less than $25k a year, those with high school education or less, and respondents who are self-employed.